I grew up playing hockey. I love the sport. The first sporting event I ever went to was a hockey game between the Islanders and the Whalers. As any hockey fan knows, the Islanders in the last 20 years went from one of the all time great teams in the league's history, to the absolute worst.

On 02.11.11 the Islanders played the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time in just 9 days. In their previous game against each other the Islanders franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro decided to square off against the Pens goalie Brent Johnson. Only one punch was landed in the scrap, it resulted in a fractured cheek bone that will cause DiPietro to be sidelined for the next 2 months.

The following video shows what occurred in Nassau Colliseum on 02.11.11.

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"It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not."
-André Gide

The sad thing is that the best hockey player in the game (Sydney Crosby) is out indefinitely due to concussions while goons like Matt Cooke are happily playing. As long as goons are put before superstars hockey will always lag in popularity compared to the other three major sports. It is too bad because when it is well played it is probably the most exciting game on Earth.

I'm sorry but if "enforcers" were still a part of the game, then you'd have far less cheap shots than you have nowadays. In today's game, there's no fear of getting your ass beat if you're playing cheap. It's a shame TBH. Today's NHL is a breeding ground for cheap shotters because of this. The fighting in hockey was a good thing, and balanced the sport out imo.